Our Field Trip to a Local Mohair Ranch

Thursday morning I took the kids on a field trip. Every time someone in town learned that Lauren had Angora goats, the first thing they would say is something like, "Oh have you heard of Mrs. S... ? She raises and breeds prize Angora goats. She's a really nice lady. You need to meet her." So yesterday I finally got around to giving her a call. She is currently shearing and was happy to have us spend the morning with her. So off we went bright and early to Kai Ranch.

We had difficulty finding her place. the roads were not really marked, but we knew we were close when we ran out of pavement. I was half-way expecting a nice sign, fancy barn, etc. but it was just an ordinary field with hand-made fences and old barns. We were greeted with a smile while Mrs. S did her morning feeding and showed us around. While she trimmed hooves and sheared two of the goats, we had a chance to get to know each other, share goat stories and learn. She told us stories of getting started, of losing goats to predators, of Pyranees guard dogs, of keeping the fleece free of sand burrs and many other things. Then she took us to her studio to show us where she spins and dyes the fiber and creates her fiber art. A few of the things that she taught us are that it is easier to lead a goat by the hair on its neck than his horns, that it saves time to skirt (pick through) the fleece just before shearing rather than afterwards and that it is easier to first corrall the goats and then pull out the ones that are needed. We learned so much from her and are so thankful for her graciousness in having us.

Goats

It's been a long time since I've posted, so I'll try to catch you up on the goings on here in Texas.

I'll start with goats.

Thomas decided to follow Lauren's lead and try raising Angoras. He purchased a buck (Nico) and two does (Lorraine and Sally). Lorraine is black/silver. The other two are white. However, the male is a red-carrier, so the babies are usually red. Sally was already pregnant and her baby arrived last Saturday while we were in town. It was a girl, red with a silver face. Thomas named her Betty Silver Goat. She's so much fun to watch! She bounces around the field so playfully and is so friendly! She only nurses her mama on one side so far, so we have to milk Sally on the other side once a day. It's good practice for when we get dairy goats; it's not as easy as it looks! 

We suspect that Lorraine is pregnant too. She usually has red twins, so we're eager with anticipation.

Pierce purchased a Nubian/Boer buck named Brandon. He's a cutie! His markings make him look like he's wearing rollerblades and pads. He's also very noisy and stubborn--much stronger and more active than the Angoras. Hopefully we'll be getting a couple of Nubian does this weekend so we can milk in the Spring. Brandon is eager to do his part in this and is driving us all crazy. We have to build another pen this weekend to separate the bucks and does so we don't get a Nubian/Angora mix!

We finally built a shelter. The wooden version turned out to be way too expensive, so we came up with a design made like a greenhouse out of cattle panels and covered with a tarp. It doesn't look that beautiful, but it works well. (Somehow the girls always end up taking care of babies and cooking while the men get to build stuff!) We plan to use the same design for a chicken coop and a small greenhouse.

Goat Shearing

Shearing the goats ended up being quite hilarious! I wish we'd videotaped it. The very short story is that human clippers and even high quality dog clippers do not work on angora goats! Scissors will do the job, but with the side effect of very blistered hands and a very long day! Turns out sheep shearers are very ferocious-looking and very necessary tools. Still, we managed to yield 14 lbs of mohair that day.

Besides our pitifully inadequate skills, Jack was as obstinate as a two-year old. He protested the whole time. Shorn stood by and watched, then when it was his turn he was very patient and even seemed to enjoy the attention. Jack watched Shorn from a distance, then once they were both in their pen Jack began butting Shorn anytime he came near. Jack was clearly jealous for attention!

Although Jack hasn't butted Shorn since then, they both follow Lauren around like puppy dogs. They go through the fence and watch us through the windows when the lights are on at night. They never stray very far from the house and like to hang out in the shade on the back patio (snacking on the shrubbery meantime)! When we take them back to their pen, Shorn follows reluctantly, but obediently. Jack tries to wriggle away, then lies down on his side limply to be dragged the rest of the way. So stubborn! He's been doing better, but this week we hope to erect a training fence to teach them their boundaries nonetheless.

Shorn after his haircut.

I'm shocked at how much personality these goats have. I thought we were getting goats; I think we have rather large and naughty puppies!

Shorn and Jack's mohair.